The Abu Dhabi World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship (ADWPJJC) 2023 is now reaching it’s peak, and the Brazilian qualifiers for the professional divisions have just come to an end. The men’s black belt and women’s brown and black belt divisions are the most prestigious titles to win at the event, and naturally they are always stacked full of elite competitors. This means that the promotion has to run qualifying rounds before the main bracket starts, in order to make sure only the best of the best are able to represent their country at the ADWPJJC each year. Brazil is the country that always fields the most representatives and as such, their national qualifying rounds are incredibly tough to win.
ADWPJJC 2023 Brazilian Qualifiers Results
Men’s Light-featherweight Division (Under 56kg)
Thalison Soares emerged victorious in the light-featherweight division by beating all three of his opponents and he enters the main bracket in a unique position, as he recently beat the reigning champion and top seed Zayed Alkatheeri at ADXC 1. Both men will have to win a fair few matches before they meet again though and Soares can’t afford to look past his first opponent in the bracket, Shay Montague.
Men’s Featherweight Division (Under 62kg)
The Brazilian Qualifier for the featherweight division was contested in a round-robin format, so Marcos Froede qualified despite going 2-1. He doesn’t have an easy draw when he enters the main bracket though, as he has an opening round match against Huseyn Abaszada and a battle with the reigning champion Meyram Maquine if he makes it past Abaszada.
Men’s Lightweight Division (Under 69kg)
Israel Almeida actually won the ADWPJJC title a few years ago, but he had to make his way through the Brazilian Qualifiers this time around in 2023. He submitted two out of his three opponents and even registered a win over Alex Sodre in the final to book his place in the main bracket, and he stands a good chance of going all the way.
Men’s Welterweight Division (Under 77kg)
The welterweight division at ADWPJJC 2023 had one of the most stacked Brazilian Qualifiers, but Mathias Luna emerged victorious against tough opposition. He won an impressive five matches in order to book his place in the main bracket and he even submitted four of the men that stood in his way. He has a tough match against Leon Larman in the opening round but Luna is clearly in fine form.
Men’s Middleweight Division (Under 85kg)
The middleweight division is wide open with no returning champion in it, and the qualifying rounds were much the same. Jakson Bernardo won both of his matches to book his place in the main bracket though, and it’ll be interesting to see how far he can go in an unpredictable division.
Men’s Light-heavyweight Division (Under 94kg)
The light-heavyweight Brazilian Qualifier was probably the easiest to predict at ADWPJJC 2023, as the reigning middleweight champion Fellipe Andrew was stepping up in weight. He won two out of his four matches by submission and booked his place in the main bracket in style, so the reigning light-heavyweight champion Catriel Fernandes might get his wish of facing him.
Men’s Super-heavyweight Division (Under 120kg)
Felipe Bezerra put in an impressive display at super-heavyweight, winning three matches and qualifying for the main bracket in style. He has the toughest draw of all the qualifiers though, as he will be facing the reigning champion Yatan Bueno in the very first round.
Women’s Roosterweight Division (Under 49kg)
Mayssa Bastos absolutely dominated the roosterweight Brazilian Qualifiers for ADWPJJC 2023, winning both of her matches by submission and saving a lot of energy for the main bracket. She stands out as the biggest threat to the reigning champion Brenda Larissa, as these two women are the only champions this division has known in the last 6 years.
Women’s Light-featherweight Division (Under 55kg)
An interesting underdog emerged in the light-featherweight division, as Gabriela Pereira has qualified for the main bracket. She has a very tough division ahead of her and an uphill battle to make it to the podium, but a lot of attention will be on her as she attempts to cause an upset.
Women’s Lightweight Division (Under 62kg)
Larissa Dias qualified from the lightweight division and she’s going to take part in one of the deepest women’s brackets at the event. There are exciting female competitors everywhere you look in this division and Julia Alves is the reigning champion. It’s going to be a tough journey to the top, but Dias is definitely capable of emerging victorious if she can perform at her best.
Women’s Middleweight Division (Under 70kg)
It was Vitoria Nogueira who emerged victorious at middleweight, and she’s earned her place in yet another tough women’s division. It’s going to take something special for her to win the main bracket though, as both of the last two champions are competing for gold. Izadora Silva and Ingridd Alves are the two obvious favorites, and Nogueira would probably have to beat both of them in order to win the division.
Women’s Heavyweight Division (Under 95kg)
There’s a great storyline developing in the women’s heavyweight division, as Yara Soares has managed to make it through the Brazilian Qualifier. Gabrieli Pessanha has been ruling over the division for years now and is looking to make this her fifth consecutive title, but Soares remains the last woman to beat her and will no doubt be eager to do the same again.
The full Abu Dhabi World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship (ADWPJJC) 2023 event, including all of the winners from the Brazilian qualifiers, will be available to watch live on AJPTour.tv.